Garbage disposer



March z5, 1958 Filed May 7, 195e 8 l.. A. JAMES :T AL

GARBAGE DIsPosER 3 Sheets-SheetI 1 Lewis f4. Jarnesmdl BY Duanel A James. Mm, Mad

7 TORNEYS..

l March Z5, 1958 1 A. .JAMES ErAL 2,828,084

` GARBAGE DIsPosER Filed May '7, 1956 5 sheets-sheet 2 22 fr" 3 f6 2 3 35 l 4.a .a7 26' f Il" l1 `INVENTOR.

` Lewis A. James d BY Duane A James A TTCRNEY.

yMarch z5, 1958 1 A. JAMES ET AL GARBAGE DISPOSER 5 Sheets-sheet s Filed May 7, 1956 INVENTOR.. Lewis f4. JCI/7793.1# BY l Duane ,4. James.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O GARBAGE DISPOSER Lewis A. James and Duane A. James, Independence, Kans.

Application May 7, 1956, Serial No. 583,061

3 Claims. (Cl. 241--46) This invention reiates to waste disposal apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for use in homes and the like for comminution and disposal of relatively small volumes of garbage and other waste materials with a ilow of water through a discharge to a sewer or other waste connection.

lt is conventional practice in the art to provide a garbage disposal unit in connection with a conventional house-hold sink in which water is supplied to the unit directly from the sink to assist in the comminution of waste materials in the unit and the ilushing of the same therefrom. In devices of this type, water must be fed to the disposer unit during the comminution of the material therein and normally if the opening from the sink to the interior of the disposer unit is entirely open for the ow of water therethrough, the normal agitation of the material being comminuted during the comminuting operation tends to cause particles of waste material and water to be projected upwardly through the opening into the sink. Also, the agitation in the interior of the disposer unit tends to project particles of waste material upwardly on the side walls of the interior out of the path of water flowing therein from the sink with the result that such particles remain in the disposer adhered to the side walls and are not flushed therefrom with the water to a sewer or other waste connection. Also, bones and other hard substances are usually gradually ground away in the comminution thereof requiring a substantial period of time to complete the comminution operation. This is very undesirable and annoying to the housewife or other person operating the disposer.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a novel garbage disposer with suitable deflectors in the comminuting chamber so that particles and liquid projected upwardly by the agitation therein is deected back downwardly and escape of the particles is prevented; to provide such a disposer with deflector arrangements that tends to prevent particles from being directed against and adhering to portions of the walls where the agitation of the water cannot clean same; to provide such a disposer with a novel closure or stopper structure adapted to serve as a conventional stopper for the sink and movable to an unseated position for iiow of water from the sink into the disposer when continuous feed of material is not necessary; to provide such a stopper construction that may be positioned in partially open position for ow of water into the disposer and also dampen the noise normally attending the operation of the unit; to provide such a disposer structure with splash guard means in the form of a resilient bathe element which permits insertion of waste material and ushing water into the comminub ing chamber during comminution operation; to provide a novel cutter arrangement including a knife member against which bones and the like are projected for splitting and breaking of bones for facilitating comminution thereof; to provide a novel cutter structure to apply separate cutting actions to the wastematerial so as to in sure that substantially all particles are comminuted and ICC long filaments of brous material which pass through the lirst comminuting operation are subsequently cut into relatively short lengths so that they will not clog the disposer, the sewer or waste connection; and to provide a garbage disposer which is economical to manufacture, easily installed and eicient and positive.` in operation to comminute waste material and have same flushed therefrom to leave a substantially clean disposer interior.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, we have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view through the garbage disposer.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the garbage disposer on the line 2-2, Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the garbage disposer with the sink stopper or cover member removed.

Fig. 4 is a disassembled perspective view of the garbage disposer.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a waste disposer unit which includes a housing 2 having a comminuting chamber or hopper 3 in which rotates rotary comminuting means i operated by an electric motor 5 located in a motor chamber 6 at the lower part of the housing 2 with the motor shaft '7 arranged axially of the comminuting chamber 3. The housing 2 preferably is of cast metal and has a substantially cylindrical wall 8 extending upwardly from a horizontal partition 9 that forms the bottom wall of the comminuting chamber 3. The upper end of the wall il terminates in a slightly enlarged portion lil having an edge 11 on which a gasket l2 seats to form a seal between the cylindrical wall 8 and a cover member l. The gasket 12 has a depending liange 14 which seats between the interior of the upper portion of the wall 8 and a depending ilange 15 on the cover 13. The cover i3 has an annular iiange 16 extending outwardly beyond the wall 8 and the housing 2 has an annular flange i7 eX- tending outwardly from said wall 8 in spaced relation to the upper end thereof. The flanges lo and il7 have aligned apertures 18 and 19 respectively for receiving Shanks 20 of bolts 21 with nuts 22 threaded thereon for securing the cover member 13 to the housing 2. It is preferable to have resilient bushings 23 in the apertures 18 to provide a resilient connection which cooperates with the gasket 12 to form a resilient mounting of the housing 2 on the household sink (not shown) to reduce the noise transmission of the disposer.

The cover 13 has an upstanding ange 2d provided with a threaded bore 25 into which is threaded a sleeve or ring member 25 having an inlet passage or throat 27 through which waste material and liushing water can be inserted into the comminuting chamber 3. The ring member 26 is provided with an annular ange 23 adapted to be positioned in a household sink (not shown) of conventional type having a flanged discharge opening in its bottom whereby the flange 2S is engaged with the marginal portions of a discharge opening of the sink and gaskets 29 and 30 positioned between the lower portion of the sink and the upper end of the ilange 2d whereby when the ring member 26 is screwed into the threaded bore 25 the llanges 23 and 24, the gaskets 2@ and 3d, cooperate to attach the disposer to the sink. The ring member 26 has an inwardly extending portion 3l with an upwardly extending portion 32 having a central 4depression 33 which cooperates with depending lugs 3d on a stopper member 35 which has a disc-like member provided with a beveled peripheral edge 36 adapted to seat in an upper beveled portion or seat 37 of the ring member Z6 when the lugs `34 are .turned to a position out of alignment with the upwardly extending portion 32 in the ring meinber. Engagement of the lugs 34 in the recesses 33 of the upwardly extending portion 32 holds the stopper member 35 in unseated relation to the ring member whereby water may flow therebetween. The stopper member is provided with a suitable handle 38 for manipulation thereof.

A splash guard 39 is secured by suitable fastening devices 40 to the under surface of the cover 13, a ring member 41 preferably being arranged under the outer marginal portions of the splash guard to aid in supporting same on the cover member. The splash guard is preferably formed of rubber or other flexible material and is split radially at spaced points to provide a plurality of segments 42 whereby material may be forced through the throat 27 and through the splash guard, flexing downwardly the segments so the material will enter the comminuting chamber 3. After material is passed through the guard, the segments spring back into substantially horizontal position. The splash guard also tends to retain water and waste material particles in the comminuting chamber as well as permitting continuous feed to said chamber while the disposer is operating.

A stationaryV cutting element 43 is fixed in the comminuting chamber 3 and preferably is in the form of a shredder ring having an upper portion 44 engaging the inner surface of the wall 8. The shredder ring slopes inwardly and downwardly from the upper portion 44 and terminates in a cylindrical portion 45 extending downwardly therefrom and spaced from the wall 8 as at 46. The shredder ring is provided with a plurality of vertically arranged elongated indentations or serrations 47 to form a series Vof ridges 48 and valleys 49 with the upper ends 50 of the indentations spaced from the upper portion 44 of the shredder ring and the lower ends 51 of the indentations spaced from the lower edge 52 of the ring The shredder ring is held in the comminuting chamber by suitable fastening devices such as screws 53 whereby the lower edge 52 of said ring is spaced from the partition or bottom wall 9 of the comminuting charnber. The ring has a downwardly extending plate or leg 54 which preferably substantially engages the bottom 9, said leg having a plurality of elongated apertures or slots 55 extending vertically therein in front of a discharge lbore 56 which extends through a laterally extending boss 57 that is suitably connected by a union nut 58 with a discharge tting 59.

The discharge bore 56 preferably has a top portion spaced below the shredder ring and a bottom slightly below the upper surface of the bottom wall 9 for unobstructed ow of Water and comminuted material for discharge through the fitting 59 to a sewer or other place of disposal.

The screws 53@V preferably also retain a cutter member 60 in the comminuting chamber. The cutter 60 has a portion 61 which overlays the adjacent edges of the ends of the shredder ring and an upper outwardly inclined portion 62 that extends above the upper edge of said shredder ring through which another screw 53 extends to further aid in securing the cutter 60 and shredder ring to the wall 8. The screws 53 preferably extend through apertures 63 in said wall S and have seal type nuts 64 threaded Ion the outer ends thereof to secure the screws on one side of the shredder ring in place. Another screw 53 is arranged in a similar manner on the opposite side of the shredder ring to anchor same to the wall 8. The lower end portion of the cutter 6d is turned inwardly to form a flange or knife 65 which has its 0pposite ends sharpened as at 66 to cooperate with the comminuting apparatus 4 as later described, the flange 65 preferably being intermediate the ends of the serrations on the shredder ring.

The comminuting apparatus 4 includes a rotatable table element 67 fixed to the motor shaft 7, said table preferably having a at upper surface 68 and a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the shredder ring aaaaoea portion between the lower ends of the indentations 47 and the bottom edge 52 of said shredder ring to provide operating clearance which is maintained sufciently small to prevent the passage of any material therebetween that has not been properly comminuted. The table 67 has its peripheral edge 69 tapered inwardly and downwardly so that any material of small enough size that will pass between the table and shredder ring will readily escape downwardly towards the bottom 9 for iiow through the discharge. The upper surface 6h of the table member 67 is preferably immediately below and close to the lower ends of the indentations 47. A pair of movable cutters 76 are rotatably mounted on the table element 67 by means of bearing pins 71 adjacent one end of the cutters whereby the center of gravity of the cutters are at one side of the axis of the pins so that when the table element is rotated `by the motor shaft 7 centrifugal force will mo-ve the movable cutter elements 73 into cutting position which is substantially radially on the table 67 at which position the outer ends 72 of the movable cutters 7@ move adjacent to the indentations 47 with small operating clearance therebetween whereby said cutters cooperate with the indentations 47 to shred and comminute Waste material. The movable cutters 7G being rotatable on the pins 7i may rotate back to a retracted position in the event hard material such as glass and the like are engaged thereby to prevent damage to the cute ing faces. The movable cutter elements 7i) have horizontal slots 7d in their outer ends in the plane of the tlange 65 whereby when the table 67 is rotated the flange 65 passes through the Slots 7d and aids in cutting the Waste material. The shredder ring 43 and table 67 preferably are heat treated metal to provide hard cutting edges on the ridges 43 and at the upper edge of the periphery 69 of the table for cooperation in comminuting waste material. The portion of the movable cutters 70 adjacent the pins 71 are preferably rounded as illustrated in Figs. l and 2 and are of reduced width as at 73 intermediate their length to reduce tendency of ob jects `being lodged against the movable cuttersy in a manner to retain same in retracted position. The table 67 also preferably has vertically depending knives 74 mounted thereon substantially in alignment with the periphery 69 to cooperate with the slots 55 in the leg S4 in cutting stringy material that may be of sufficient smallness in cross section to pass between the periphery 69 of the table 67 and the shredder ring 43. The knives 74 are preferably adjustably mounted on the bottom of the table 67 by means of suitable fastening devices such as screws 75 whereby the knives may be moved inwardly or outwardly to provide suitable clearance between said knives and the leg 54 for proper cutting action.

A deflector 76 is positioned in the comminuting chamber 3 to aid in retaining particles of the material being comminuted and water in the operating area adjacent the movable cutters 70. The deilector 76 is in the form of a split ring member with the outer periphery 77 engaged in a groove 78 in the inner surface of the wall 8, said groove '78 extending around said wall and spaced above the upper portion 44 of the shredder ring 43 and below the upper edge of the flange 62 of the cutter 60. The deector 76 is formed of metal and has some resiliency that tends to increase the diameter thereof whereby the resilency of the metal tends to retain the outer edge 77 in the groove 78 with the ends 79 of said deiiector engaging the side edges of the flange 62 of the cutters 60 whereby said ange holds the ends 79 in suitably spaced relation to retain the deector 76 engaged in the annular groove 78. The ring member deflector 76 has a wall SMB that slopes inwardly and downe wardly from the edge 77 as illustratedin Fig. 1 and has an inner edge 81 dening a large aperture whereby there is substantially no resistance to the material to be comminuted passing therethrough to the area of operation of the cutters but the extension of the wall 80 from assunse the wa-ll 8 is such that water and particles that tend to be -thrown upwardly along the inner surface of the wall '8 are deliected back downwardly to the areas of the cutters whereby the particles are not deposited on the surface of the wall above the deflector.

The partition 9 has an upstanding boss 82 and a depending boss 83 arranged in alignment and axially of the comminuting chamber wall 8. The depending portion 83 of the boss has a bore 84 in which is secured a bearing 85 having a bore 86 therethrough `for rotatably mounting the shaft 7. The bore 84 terminates as at 37 in spaced `relation to the upper end of the bearing S and suitable packing such as a felt washer d8 is arranged between the bearing end and the end of the bore as at S7 and engages the shaft 7 and inside of the bore to form a seal thereinbetween. The upstanding boss 82 has a bore 89 coaxial with the bore 84 and is yof suitable size to provide small operating clearance between the inside of the bore and the periphery of the shaft 7 which extends therethrough. A metal washer 90 is sleeved on a reduced upper portion 91 of the shaft 7 and engages a shoulder 92 thereon. The upper portion 91 of the shaft 7 which extends beyond the washer 9d is provided with a flat side 93 to key same to a rubber washer 94 sleeved thereon and resting on the upper face of the metal washer 90. The rubber washer 94 has a flat side 94 to engage the ilat side 93 of the shaft 7. The table 67 is sleeved on the upper end of the shaft and resting on the rubber washer 94. The upper end of the shaft 7 is provided with an axial threaded bore 95 into which is threaded a shank 96 of a screw having a head 97 engaging the upper face of the table 67 to secure same to the shaft 7. The under side of the head 97 is provided with a groove 98 in which is located a gasket 99 such as an 0-ring forming a seal between the head 97 and the upper surface `of the table 67. The aperture itl() in the table 67 has a dat side 101 which engages the at side of the upper end of the shaft 7 when the table is sleeved thereon to key the table 67 to said shaft. A resilient gasket 1172 is positioned on the upper end of the boss 82 and engages the lower surface of the washer 9i) to aid in forming a seal around the shaft 7.

A resilient collar 163 is sleeved on the exterior of the opstanding boss 82 and has ends 16d and 1h55 engaging the washer 9h and a shoulder 166 on the boss S2 respectively whereby said collar is compressed between the washer and the shoulder 196 to make a liquid and gas seal to prevent entry thereof into the bore 84. A spring 107 is positioned in the collar 163 and engages the end portions to hold same in engagement with the washer 9i) and the shoulder 166.

The walls of the housing 2 extend outwardly from adjacent the partition 9 and then downwardly to provide a wall 108 which cooperates with the partition 9 in delining the motor chamber 6 of larger diameter than the comminuting chamber 3. The depending wall 108 terminates in a laterally extending flange 19 which extends into a groove 110 of a iiexihle seal member 111. A bottom closure or plate 112 has upstanding centering lugs 113 adapted to engage the interior surface of the wall 108 to center the Ibottom closure 112 relative thereto. rl`he flexible seal member 111 has suitable engagement with the wall S and the bottom closure 112 to substantially provide a seal therebetween. The bottom closure preferably has an aperture H3 which provides for venting of the motor chamber 6. The driving motor 5 and its mounting in the motor chamber 6 is substantially the same as is shown and described in our co pending application on Garbage Disposer, Serial No. 562.734, tiled February l, 1956.

In operating a garbage disposer constructed and assembled as described and mounted in a household sink wherein the ring member 27 extends through the drain opening of the sink with a flange 28 sealingly engaged with the upper surface of the sink surrounding the opening and the ring gaskets 29 and 30 compressed between the flange of the drain opening of the sink and the upstanding flange 13 of the disposer, the stopper member 35 is removed and garbage or other waste is placed in the comminuting chamber 3 by forcing same through the throat and through the splash guard 42. Then the faucet (not shown) in the sink is turned on whereby water will run into the disposer and then the motor 5 is connected to an electric circuit whereby the motor rotates the table 67 and cutters 7'0 thereon causing the material to be moved around in contact with the cutting edges of the ridges of the shredder ring 43 gradually grinding the material to a sufficient ineness whereby it will pass with the water between the periphery 69 of the plate or table 67 and the shredder ring flowing under the plate 67 through the openings 55 to the discharge bore 56 and connection 59. If any stringy material is of small cross section and tends to pass between the periphery 69 of the plate 6'7 and the shredder ring 43 such stringy material will tend to be cut as it passes through the openings 5S by the knives 56. Any solid particles such as bones and the like are moved around by the movable cutters 7i) and thrown against the edges 66 of the cutter 66 and the force of the impact tends to split or break the bones. Such force also tends to retract the movable cutters 76 but if a bone or the like tends to be caught between the movable cutters 70 and the head 97 of the plate holding screw, the rounded surfaces of the movable cutters 70 tend to prevent any lodgement that would make the cutters inoperative or would stall the machine.

The slots 76 in the end portions of the movable cutters 7l) allow the end portions of the cutters to straddle the flange 65 and also cooperates with the edges 66 of the cutter 6) to aid in cutting and comminuting particles of waste material to facilitate the grinding and reduction of the material to small particles by the cutters and shredder ring 43. The centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the cutters and plate 67, the agitation caused by the grinding and cutting action of the various parts thereof tends to throw particles of waste material and water upwardly in the comminuting chamber 3. The deilector 76 tends to reverse the movement of such particles and direct them back downwardly into the operating area of the cutters. Also the deector tends to confine the agitation of the water so the water will wash particles from the inner surface of the shredder ring and from the table 67 and cutters 70. The splash guard dit tends to prevent any particles of water or the like thrown upwardly through the central portion of the comminuting chamber 3 from being moved into the sink when the stopper 35 is removed as in continuous feeding of the disposer. When all of the garbage or other waste material has been placed in the disposerI comminuting chamber Si, the stopper 35 is placed in the throat with the lugs 39 engaged with the recesses 33 to hold the edge 36 of the stopper in spaced relation with the seat 37 whereby water will continue to flow from. the sink into the comminuting chamber 3. After all of the material has been comminuted and ushed through the tting 59, the water may be turned off and the circuit to the motor interrupted to stop the operation of the disposer. When it is desired to use the sink for other purposes and have the drain thereof closed, the stopper 35 is rotated to disengage the lugs 39 from the recesses 33 whereby the beveled edge 36 will seat on the seat 37 to effectively stop flow of water from the sink.

lt is to be understood that while we have illustrated and described one form of our invention, it is not to be limited to the specic form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

l. In a waste disposer device, a housing having a substantially horizontal wall and a side wall upstanding therefrom providing a comminuting chamber disposed about a Vertical axis and having an open upper end through which waste material and liquid can be inserted into said chamber and a discharge opening at the lower end thereof, a ring member iixed to the upstanding wall of the chamber above the discharge opening, a plurality of vertical serrations in the ring member forming cutters therein, a rotary member in said chamber and mounted on a vertical axis and having a periphery adjacent the upstanding wall of the chamber between the ring member and the discharge opening so only comminuted material can pass between the periphery and the wall, movable cutters pivotally mounted on the rotary member and cooperative with the serrations in the ring member when the rotary member is rotated to comminute waste material, and a detlector ring xed to the opstanding wall of the chamber adjacent to and above the ring member and having an inclined wall extending inwardly and downwardly therefrom and terminating above the path of the movable cutters for deiiecting waste material particles and liquid downwardly toward the rotary member and cooperating with the rotary member to' retain waste material being comminuted therebetween.

2. In a waste disposer device, a housing having a horizontal wall and side wall opstanding tf erefrom providing a comminuting chamber disposed about a vertical axis aud having an open upper end through which waste material and liquid can be inserted into said chamber and a discharge opening in the side wall adjacent said horizontal wall, a stationary cutter member fixed to the lower portion of the upstanding side wall and extending upwardly from the discharge opening and terminating :in a top edge spaced a substantial distance below the open upper end of the comrninuting chamber, a rotary vmember in the lower portion of said chamber and lmounted on a vertical axis, said rotary member having a periphery adiacent the housing side wall so only comminuted material can pass therebetween, movable cutters pivotally mounted on the rotary member and so disposed Athat rotation of the rotary member brings the outer por tions of the movable cutters into close relationship to the serrations in the stationary cutter for comminuting waste material therebetween, said movable cutters having horizontal slots in said outer portions thereof, a knife member extending inwardly from the stationary cutter in the plane of the slots in the outer portions of the movable cutters and in the path thereof whereby said knife mem- -ber lcooperates with the movable cutters in cutting waste f material, and a deflector ring fixed to the chamber side wall above the stationary cutter and extending inwardly and downwardly from adjacent the top edge of the stationary cutters and terminating in upwardly spaced rela- 8 tion to the movable cutters for deecting upwardly moving waste material particles and liquid toward the rotary member and thereby retain the waste material in position to be comminuted by said stationary and movable cutters.

3. in a waste disposer device, a housing having a hori zontal wall and side walls upstanding therefrom providing a comminuting chamber disposed about a vertical axis having an open upper end through which waste material and liquid can be inserted into said chamber and a discharge opening in the side wall adjacent said horizontal wall, a stationary cutter member extending .substantially around the interior of the chamber side wall above the discharge opening, said stationary cutter member having a top edge substantially spaced from the open er end of the comminuting chamber, means xiug the stationary cutter member to the side wall, a plurality of vertical serrations on the stationary cutter, a rotary member in the lower portion of said chamber and mounted on a vertical axis, said rotary member having a periphery adjacent the housing side wall so only comminuted material can pass therebetween, movable cutters pivotally mounted on the rotary member and so disposed that rotation of the rotary member brings the outer portions ot the movable cutters into close relationship to the serrations in the stationary cutter for comminuting waste material therebetween, said movable cutters having horizontal slots in said outer portions thereof, a knife member extending inwardly from the stationary cutter in the plane of the slots in the outer portions of the movable cutters and in the path thereof whereby said knife member cooperates with the movable cutters in cutting waste material, and a deilector ring fixed to the cham-ber sidewall adjacent the top edge of the stationary cutter and extending inwardly and downwardly from said wall and terminating over the path of the movable cutters and in upwardly spaced relation thereto for deiiecting upwardly moving waste material particles and liquid toward the rotary member and thereby retain the waste material in position to be comminuted by the stationary and movable cutters.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,012,680 Hammes Aug. 27, 1935 2,482,125 Powers Sept. 20, 1949 2,631,297 Clark Mar. 17, 1953 2,697,558 Powers Dec. 21, 1954 2,730,308 Jordan Tan. 10, 1956 2,784,915 Gordon Mar. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 56,834 Switzerland July 3, 1911 

